by Vivian Ward
“But, Allison, you are far too thin. No dog likes a bone. Now tell me, what would you like for lunch so that I can have it prepared for you.”
I look down and observe my round hips and thighs. I don’t feel too thin but I certainly don’t want to put on weight either. “Really, I’m fine. I’ll just take the toast—with some coffee.”
I pour myself a large cup of coffee before I have to log in to work because I know I’m going to need my energy to figure out what Darcy does or doesn’t know, and then deal with Colton once I figure it all out. Carrying my plate and mug up to my room, I begin to mentally prepare myself for work and pray that the maid doesn’t try to force feed me. I wish I’d had time to mentally prepare myself for Colton yesterday.
He scared and shocked the hell out of me last night. I’ve known he’s sadistic. I’ve known he was a dark, brooding storm but I never thought he’d do the things he did to me last night. Okay, I figured at some point he would spank me for misbehaving—or just for fun—but the rest? Waking me up with a sharp ass letter opener pressed against my skin? Or cutting my clothes off of me? No, I never thought he’d do those things, much less wake me up that way.
While a large part of me was scared shitless, I was also turned on. I love the pain—I always have—but the rest is all new to me. I shouldn’t be surprised that I was turned on by him cutting my clothes off of me and having the threat of danger lurking so close to my existence, but what worries me is that I want more of it. I liked it a little too much but I’m not sure I could handle more. This is all so new and so confusing for me. Sometimes I think I’m fucked up in the head. Like, what girl would want a guy to cut their clothes off them and hold something sharp against their throat before dragging it down their naked torso? But on the other hand, I know there are a lot of fetishes far worse than being in a little danger.
The bigger question is: am I ready for more? What else could Colton have in store for me? Will I be able to handle it? Will my body be able to take it? How far could, or would, he push things? My body was already in ecstasy last night when he had both of my holes stuffed at the same time. I’ve never experienced anything like it with another man, but it doesn’t phase him one bit. It’s like he’s used to doing things like that. It makes me wonder what he has done with other women.
What has he done with Brooke? I’d like to know but I think it’s best that he spare me some of the details. Right now I don’t think it would take much to ruin our relationship and that’s more weight than I’m ready or willing to carry right now. I want to get closer to him; I just don’t know how. Things were going so great until all of this happened and I can’t express enough regret to him. I’m not sure there are enough words to do that.
I’d never wish anything ill on another person but she is one person that I don’t want anywhere near Colton’s existence. There’s something about her. It was something about how she dictated Tyler’s actions and could pull on Colton’s strings. I don’t like that. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t care what she and Tyler do behind closed doors but when it comes to Colton, he’s mine.
All mine.
I don’t care what or who he had before me. He might not like me very much right now but there’s no doubt in my mind that we love each other in our own fucked up way. We’re perfect for each other and I’ll be damned if she ever sets foot in my house again.
Slurping down my coffee, I log into everything on my work computer and immediately see an email from Darcy with a subject line that warrants immediate attention so I open it right away.
Hello Ally,
I must say that I like your desk much better than my old one. Not because it’s more comfortable or because it’s in a better location than mine, but because of what’s on it. Oh honey, you’ve really outdone yourself this time. Digging up all the dirt, writing it all up, and leaving it behind as a gift for me? I should buy you a drink but I don’t step foot into sex clubs, unlike you. I thought about taking it to Gretta but she probably wouldn’t approve this story. Good thing I’m super close to Greg. I’ll be able to get this published in no time. You have no idea how you’ve helped my career while you’re out playing house with your creep. I guess you forgot about leaving this little gem behind when you were swept off your feet but I’m lucky to have found it.
Yeah, everyone is talking about you, Ally. We all know how you shacked up with him to take advantage of him and all of his money. You even got him to pull strings so you don’t have to come to work. Isn’t that so precious? He doesn’t want you to have to break a nail getting to work. That’s okay. You can stay hidden away in your little mansion and pretend all is well. It’s better that way since you won’t have the story that I do that’s going to open so many doors for me. At least you’ll be well taken care of—as long as the two of you don’t burn through the money he has because it won’t last forever. It’ll probably be the only money he earns for the rest of his life. Better get used to living off the interest, sweetheart. All the kids you’re probably going to pop out are going to need it to go to school or to change their last name, whatever suits them.
Best Wishes,
Darcy
My blood runs hot, burning my veins like liquid lava as I think about her gloating over my story. I should’ve never written that damn story. No matter what, we have to keep it from getting published. I immediately text Colton to let him know that she has it and is planning on turning it into Greg.
Colton: Isn’t that your boss’s boss?
Me: Yep, it sure is. Darcy’s been sleeping with him since the beginning of her internship.
It’s what I suspect anyway. Within the first week of us both being there, she quickly wedged her way into his life and ever since, they have private lunches, she stays after work with him, and she’s spilled a few of their secrets to me. Under normal circumstances, I’d keep these things to myself but I can’t let her go through with publishing Colton’s story. I have to protect him because I love him. It would crush me to see him lose everything. I hadn’t thought of it before but I am now. I’m angry with myself over all of this. If I wouldn’t have listened to Kristin, neither of us would be in this situation. But I also wouldn’t have Colton.
I can’t imagine not having him in my life. He’s smart, charming, charismatic, and sexy. Before he came into my life, I was lonely and bored. My existence only mattered to family and what little friends I had. But in Colton’s world, I’m everything to him and I know this.
Colton: I’ll have my guys start working on it.
After that text, I don’t hear anything back from him. I sip my coffee, stewing at how much of a bitch Darcy is. I’ve never been a fighter but I’d like to beat the shit out of her. It takes everything I have not to fire back an email letting her know that her career is about to go out the window but I know it’s better to catch them off guard and let Colton’s guys handle things. He has more money and power than the entire news station combined. I opt to ignore her email and move on to the next. Another shitty article that Gretta has me writing. I swear, I don’t know why she makes me write these damn things. There’s no way anyone can be reading this stuff. It’s so boring. This week, she wants me to write about the back-to-school festival that’s coming up.
There’s a small carnival that comes to the area right before school starts up so the kids can have one last summer hoorah. Whatever. Unlike all the other weeks, I welcome this lame article because anyone could write it and it’ll provide a small distraction for me.
I spend the afternoon verifying all of the details of the carnival, including phoning the city’s office to make sure I had the dates of the event correct, and start outlining my piece. Several hours go by before my stomach begins to grumble. It’s only then that I realize it’s nearly dinner time and Colton will be home soon. As usual, I head downstairs to preheat the oven but when I get midway down the stairwell, I smell pork cooking.
“Linda, what are you doing?” I ask when she greets me in the kitchen.
“
Allison,” she clasps her hands. “I always make dinner before I go. I know I should’ve checked with you first, but I’m not used to that. I hope you’ll forgive me. I’m making pork tenderloin with asparagus and toasted garlic bread.”
“No, that’s fine,” I say. “It’s just that you haven’t been here since I started staying here so I’m not used to it either.”
The two of us get a good laugh. “I guess we both better get used to change, huh?”
“Yeah, I guess so. Do you need help with anything,” I offer.
“No, no. I’ve got this.”
Colton walks in the door just as I’m about to begin helping Linda set the table and he doesn’t look happy.
Chapter 5
Colton
After a long discussion with Mark Pearson, my PI, we uncovered a few facts about The Gateway Times. Ally’s list of dirty laundry is very helpful but Mark and his guys can only do so much. My day quickly went to shit after Ally’s texts but the icing on the cake was the phone call that I received on my way home.
“Are you okay?” Ally asks as I shrug out of my coat and tie.
“No, I’m not.” My reply is cold and I don’t mean to be that way toward her but it’s hard not to be pissed off at her.
“Mr. Kaswell, would you like me to fix a drink for you?” Linda asks, holding a dish towel in her hand. If there’s one constant in my life that I can always count on it’s that Linda has and always will take care of me. She knows exactly what I like, when I want it and how to do it.
“Yes, please,” I nod. She makes her way to the liquor cabinet as Ally scrambles by my side as I head up to the bedroom to change clothes. I need to get down to the basement so I can work out in the gym. I need to punch something. Hard.
If I don’t take things out on some gym equipment, I know I will only punish Ally more than she deserves to be punished. And no, I’d never hit her—not in a million years. But I can foresee some very deviant sex acts in her future if I don’t deal with my hostility and the last thing I want to do is hurt her.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asks as I pull out a pair of sweats from the walk-in closet. Changing into my workout clothes, I begin telling her what Mark said.
“Mark called after lunch. He said the list you provided was very helpful but it’s a slippery slope. He’s been asked to investigate some of the employees at The Gateway Times in the past but they’re all very careful not to leave behind paper trails. Apparently, they’re notorious for taking part in various scandals.” I leave out the part about her creating a paper trail of the story because I don’t want to pour salt on the open wound. I know she’s remorseful.
“What does that mean?” she asks.
“It means proving Greg and Darcy’s affair will be difficult. He knew of a backend way to enter their servers and there were no emails between the two except normal company memos that everyone received.” Her eyebrows contort like she’s confused. “Ally, he’s a married man with two children, a very lavish home, and a career to protect. He’s not exactly flaunting his girlfriends all over.”
“Then how can we prove that he’s exploiting interns? And how do we prove that Darcy is sleeping with him so she loses her internship? What do we do now?” she asks, following me back down the stairs.
Linda has a small whiskey glass waiting for me on the kitchen counter. I down it in one gulp before grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. “Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes,” she announces as I close the refrigerator door.
“Thank you, Linda.” I turn my attention back to Ally. “That’s where the problem lies. Mark and his guys will have to do a lot of footwork, the old school way. It’ll take time, which isn’t on our side.”
“Shit,” she chews her bottom lip.
“Don’t worry,” I reassure her. “We’ll figure something out but I’ll need your help. Try to think of anything you can. It seems as though taking down those two is going to be hard to do so if anything jogs your memory—anything at all, tell me.”
“I will,” she nods. Her chocolate stars look like they might melt and it sends a pain through my chest. I don’t want her to worry anymore than she already has.
“Hey, we’ll take care of it.” I look at the basement door and think about the gym that’s waiting for me. “Now if you’ll excuse me,” I say.
“Of course.” She clears her throat. “I was just getting ready to help Linda set the table.”
I kiss her forehead and begin making my way to the basement.
“Colton?” she calls after me.
“Yeah?”
“Does she eat with us?” she whisper-shouts.
I shake my head no and continue taking the stairs two at a time until I’m in my gym. This place is my solace. It’s kept me so much company when I was single and now it will provide me with a bit of comfort. Slipping on my black boxy gloves, I stretch the material around my hands, making sure they’re covered well. Once they’re securely in place, I turn on my iPod and begin blaring heavy metal as I begin working on the punching bag. Swing after swing, I can feel the tension slowly leaving my body. Working with the beat of the music, I jam out to a few of my favorite songs until I’m covered in sweat and my stomach begins to grumble. The flavor of dinner has been wafting down the stairs for the last fifteen minutes or so and I can’t take it any longer. Turning down my iPod, I remove the gloves from my hands and put them back where they belong and climb the stairs.
“How’d you know dinner was ready?” Ally asks.
“I didn’t, but I have to grab a quick shower and then I’ll be down.”
She starts to speak but Linda grabs her arm and nods, keeping her at bay. I make my way through the kitchen and take the stairwell closest to the bedrooms to get back upstairs. Once I’m in the master bath, I see that Linda has already laid out fresh linens for me. She’s like a mother to me, only better because she doesn’t nag since I pay her.
Stripping off my sweats, I toss them into a neat pile before I start the water. I’d like a cold shower to cool me off but I’ve never been able to take anything other than piping hot showers. Climbing into the shower, the hot water cascades over me as I think about the phone call that I had with Tyler on my way home. I’m not sure whether the steam is coming out of my ears or from the water but I do know that he’s got me really pissed off. We’ve been friends for a long time and I have a feeling that things are about to go south very quickly, especially with Brooke by his side.
She’s always been okay to play with which is the only reason I had her on an NDA but outside of that, she’s a snake. Brooke is a greedy, money-hungry, pain-loving, filthy slut who has no limits—and that was the only thing that I really liked about her. Her kissing up to Tyler has bad news written all over it. We’ve been friends and business partners for many years now. I know what he’s worth, and I also know what type of personality he has. He’s intelligent, he’s wealthy, and he can make wise business decisions, but he can be a complete pushover when it comes to women. There’s no doubt in my mind that Brooke is pushing him into trying to buy out Club Kaswell. She sees dollar signs written in the stars; the sky is the limit because I’ve made that place into such a huge success.
“Colton?” I hear Ally’s voice as I rinse the soap from my body. “Are you almost finished? Dinner’s waiting.”
I know she’s trying to be sweet but I’m already irritated and I just want some time to think and process things. “Yeah, I just need to get dressed,” I say, shutting off the water as I reach for my towel. “I’ll be down in a minute.”
My gruff voice is enough to startle her, sending her out of the bathroom to leave me alone with my thoughts. I’m partly relieved, but I also feel like shit. I need to remind myself that she has nothing to do with Tyler or Brooke, and in all honesty, I know she hates Brooke. She doesn’t know the full extent of our relationship but she knows enough to put some strain between us when Tyler brought her here for dinner.
I dress myself quickly in a pair o
f casual pants and a Polo shirt before heading downstairs to dinner. I find Ally sitting at the table and note that Linda has already gone by the time I reach the dining table. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” I say.
“No problem,” she murmurs.
I know after last night and the way I’ve behaved since I’ve gotten home has probably been a put-off for her, so I try to eliminate some of the quietness.
“I’m sure you probably want to know what’s going on,” I begin. “I received a phone call from Tyler on my way home tonight.” A look of shock spreads across her face as her eyes widen.
“What’d he say? I mean, what did he want?” she asks.
“He’s pressing me to sell Club Kaswell and I’m not really sure why, but I can’t see anything good coming of it.”
She sips her wine and sets her glass on the table. “Why don’t you just sell it, Colton? I mean, you do have me so why do you feel the need to keep the club? Unless we’re not going to have a monogamous relationship?”
I love Ally, but I also love the lifestyle that I’ve been living for so long. Whether or not I’d entertain the idea of continuing that lifestyle hasn’t crossed my mind until now. I’ve not been to the club other than Friday afternoon’s to handle payroll because Ally has had my full attention.
“Ally, I built and designed everything. The members who belong to the club are there because of me. What would they think if I just sold everything to Tyler? What about the cocktail bar above the club? It’s all ran as one business in terms of revenue, sales, licensing, titling, and taxes. This isn’t just as simple of a decision as to what type of relationship we’ll have. It’s also about business and I need time to process it.”
Instead of arguing back with me, she sulks in her chair. Good. Maybe it’s time the little Princess see that she doesn’t always get her way and that I’m no pushover like Tyler. I don’t know what our future together holds, but I’ve never been one to cut a business loose. We finish dinner in near silence before we both retire upstairs for the evening. Just as we’re lying down to go to bed, she blurts out, “I think I’d like Linda to eat dinner with us from now on.”